Roc City Ribfest 2013

Well, we made it back from Rochester no worse for the wear.  While the temps were in the upper 50's to low 60's, the 20-30 mph wind made it brutally cold.  But, we made it through.  After a bad showing in NEBS on Saturday, I was wondering why we do this.  But, after the KCBS team meeting that evening, I realized that we do this for charity.  Every competition uses the KCBS competition to pull in money for their charity.  Roc City raises money for the Ronald McDonald House. A family that had used the house this past winter came to the meeting and thanked all the teams for what we do and for helping them to raise money to run the facilities.  That is all I needed to know.  Add in family and fun, and I am in a better place when it comes to competing.

To summarize, we had our best competition yet.  Out of 81 teams, we finished very well:

The scores above were good for (out of 81 teams):

Chicken, 18th place.  Good for our first KCBS call and ribbon!
Ribs, 66th place.
Pulled Pork, 63rd place.
Brisket, 27th place.
Overall, 44th place.

A little work on the ribs and pork and we should be doing a lot better for sure.

Roc City Ribfest 2013 Full Results

Here is the weekend in pictures.  Click to start the show...

Finally, some shout outs:

Thanks to Brian, Joe, and the whole Roc City crew for organizing a great contest.  We will be back next year for sure.  

Thanks to our neighbors Jimmy and the Squealers, The 5th Artery, and Babylon Grillbillies for being great to hang with and helpful as well.  

Finally, congrats to everyone who got a call and to Fatback Joe's for winning Grand Champion (cooks on a Stumps GF223), but specifically to Fred with All Fired Up and Kicking Ash.  He had a great weekend with the awards cooking solo.  Hats off for the hard work.  

Next up, Western New York BBQ Festival.  Hope to see everyone there.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Ready to Roll

Well, last weekend we held our last practice before our competition this weekend at the Roc City Ribfest.  We cooked a full spread to finalize recipes and to get timing down.  To deal with all of the food, we invited a bunch of friends of to graze throughout the day.  Here is the day in pictures...

Up at the butt crack of dawn...

Brisket and butt, all rubbed and ready for the smoker.  Yes, that is coffee...

Butt and brisket, safely tucked away at 5 am, smoke rolling.  It really freaks you out when you hear a pack of coyotes howling at the bottom of the hill...

Checking on the brisket...

Ribs, ready to roll...

Ribs ready for cutting...

We are a bit nervous, wondering how we will do this weekend.  But, all we can do is our best and have a lot of fun at the same time.

We'll have an update on the results next week.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Penguin Ribs

Before you get all bent out of shape, no, we did not buy penguins from some black market, back street, exotic butcher that deals in spotted owl as well.  We just made a few racks of spares for our last practice and gobbled them up while watching a Penguin playoff game.  What goes better than ribs, beer, and playoff hockey?

Were were trying some different rub and sauce combinations.  We couldn't make a choice before, so this was sort of like a single elimination contest between our top four combinations.  What were the combinations?

1.  Oakridge Pork and Chicken rub, Franks Sweet Chili during foil time, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

2.  Oakridge Pork and Chicken rub, standard foiling technique, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

3.  Oakridge Beef and Pork rub, Franks Sweet Chili during foil time, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

4.  Oakridge Beef and Pork rub, standard foiling technique, Blues Hog Regular with Blues Hog Tennessee Red for the sauce.

I know, doesn't sound like a lot of variation, but there was.  The Oakridge Beef and Pork rub has an extra kick of heat that the Pork and Chicken rub does not.  Also, the Franks Sweet Chili sauce adds a nice level of sweet to the ribs, along with a nice chili flavor.

Trimming up the racks...

Rubbing my racks...

Just about ready for the smoker...

Gotta love that red color...

A little ribbon of Franks before the foil...

Finished product...

We cooked these spares at 235 F with apple, hickory, and pecan.  Three hours on the rack, one hour in foil, and one hour back on the rack with sauce for glazing.  Which combo won you ask?  Well, it was #3: Oakridge Beef and Pork rub, Franks Sweet Chili during the foil, Blues Hog sauce combo.  The very slight bite from the rub is balanced perfectly by the sweet from the Franks and Blues Hog sauce.  All throughout you get the undertone of chili that comes from the Franks as well.  A winner for sure.

Oh, who won the Penguin game?

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Smoked Scotch Eggs, Breakfast Style

What is a Scotch Egg you ask?  Well, I have made them before.  At good English pubs, they are hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage and deep fried.  They are then served with a side of some sort of dipping sauce.  I was in the mood for them and I had the smoker fired up, so I went for it...

First, I took 3 lb of bulk breakfast sausage, mixed in 1 Tbsp of sriracha sauce and wrapped a hard boiled egg inside...

Then, I smoked at 350 F with hickory wood until the sausage was cooked, about 40 minutes or 165 F internal...

The next morning, I cut into thick sliced and pan fried until hot...

Then, I topped with a fried egg and made all of the trimmings...

How was the combo?  Outstanding.  Runny, dippy egg with some hard boiled texture mixed in as well.  The smoked sausage and sriracha added a nice spicy complement to the usual breakfast.  I will be doing this again when I am feeling decadent for breakfast in the future.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Thai-Phoon Pork and Shrimp Burgers

I really can't decide what cuisine I like the best.  Is it Asian?  Is it Mexican?  Is it Caribbean?  Well, a weekend or so ago I was in the moon for some Asian flavors.  So, I give you, Thai-Phoon Pork and Shrimp Burgers.

First, I took two pounds of ground pork, 1 lb of diced, cooked shrimp, and mixed with 2, Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of sesame oil, 1 Tbsp of minced garlic, 1 Tbsp of sriracha sauce, 1 tsp of ground dried ginger, and 1 tsp of onion powder, then I mixed thoroughly and put in the frig to chill...

While that mixture was chilling, I marinaded sliced pineapple and sliced sweet onion in olive oil, garlic,  salt and pepper.

Once the meat mix had chilled, I broke in my new burger patty maker and pounded out some patties, then placed them in the frig to firm up...

Then, I lit some charcoal and got a screaming hot grill going.  Once it was hot, I placed the patties on direct heat and the pineapple and onion on indirect heat...

I flipped everything after 7 minutes and put some fresh Kaiser Rolls sprayed with olive oil and garlic on the top rack to toast...

While cooking, I mixed up some sriracha mayonnaise.  The mix was 1/4 cup of mayo and sriracha sauce to taste.  When done, I placed a burger with pineapple, grilled onion, and a dollop of sriracha mayo.  I even made some Asian Slaw for the side...

This was a winner.  The perfect mix of hot and sweet with Asian flavor.  I will be making this again for sure.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

Mexican Roadside Turkey

This past Cinco de Mayo, I was just going to BBQ a turkey breast.  But, I we were invited to a friends for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, so I decided to go Mexican.  After a short search on the Internet, I found a great recipe for Mexican Roadside Chicken that I adapted to make Mexican Roadside Turkey...

Here is the recipe that I found: Mexican Roadside Chicken.  It combines vinegar, garlic, and various spices into a great baste for your poultry of choice.  The only difference is that I smoked the turkey and did not grill.

First, I made a batch of my stand by poultry brine:

BOS's Chicken Brine:

Ingredients:

1 gallon Water
¾ cup Kosher Salt
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Granulated Garlic
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
¼ cup Orange Juice
⅛ cup Worcestershire Sauce

Mix and bring to boil.  Cool and place in frig overnight.

I then let the breast go for an overnight swim.  The next afternoon, I pulled the turkey breast from the brine and patted dry.   Then, I rubbed olive oil all over to promote a crispy skin.  

While the beast was coming up to room temperature, I lit the smoker and brought to a temperature of 350 F.  Once at temperature, I put two pieces of pecan in the ash pan for some smoke.  While I was waiting on the smoker to come to temperature, I mixed my basting liquid...

I place the breast on the middle rack, skin side down and basted.  Then, I flipped over and basted the skin side.   I then basted after 30 and 60 minutes.  Total cook time to get to 160 F internal was 1 hour and 20 minutes...

When done, I double wrapped in foil and placed in a cooler to keep warm during the driver over to our friends place.  Sorry, no sliced pictures.  I can tell you that the bird was outstanding.  Moist and juicy.  the cider vinegar mixes nicely with the Mexican spices for a tasty treat.  I will be trying this with a chicken on the grill.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

World Bacon Championship, Part 4 of 4

We have made it to the last post in the WBC series, Bacon Dessert.  I kicked around many ideas for this category.  One idea was sweet dough wrapped pig candy, baked and drizzled with an orange sauce.  But, I wasn't happy with that.  But, a post from fellow blogger Chilebrown over at Mad Meat Genius provided divine inspiration.  We were going to make Bacon Crack.

Basically, bacon crack is English Toffee with bacon added.  We have had the toffee recipe in the family for years and I am an expert at making this sinful substance.  It always gets rave reviews when I make it, so lets take it up a notch.

How does one make English Toffee?  Very simple.  You take butter, sugar, water, and light Karo syrup, mix it in a heavy duty sauce pan.  Then, you heat it up until it is starting to burn, mix in your nut of choice, and dump the hot, molten mess into a buttered baking pan.  Once solidified, you put chocolate on top, spread to an even layer when melted, and let cool overnight.  Then crack into pieces, eat, and enjoy...

Ready for the heat...

Coals ready to go.  I liked how the charcoal added a slight smoky flavor to the toffee...

Starting the long process...

Bacon and nut mix, at the ready...

Just about there...

In the pan to harden...

Chocolate to melt, about three minutes later...

Spread and let sit overnight...

Then crack and eat.  How was it?  Perfect.  The toffee flavor was unchanged.  But, once you start chewing, the bacon infusion starts to meld with the toffee, chocolate, and nut flavors making for a tasty dessert bite.  I like the slight smoke flavor that preparing on the grill added to this toffee.  This is trophy worthy material.

Thanks for stopping by...

Bill

World Bacon Championship. Part 3 of 4

The third category in the WBC is Savory Dish, no desserts.  So, our choice is a Twice Baled potato.

First, we took some garden variety Idaho spuds and baked in the smoker, 1 hour, 375 F.  We rolled them 30 minutes into the cook...

Next, we halved and scooped out the insides into a mixing bowl.  Then we added sour cream, cheddar cheese, diced cooked bacon, and BBQ sauce.  What was the ratio?  I have not a clue.  I was going for creamy, cheesy, and BBQ flavor.  All I know is that we did not skimp on the bacon.  Once the filling was made, we put back in the skins, and covered with bacon and shredded cheese.  Then, back in the smoker for 30 minutes at 375F.

As you can see, probably too long on the smoker.  We will probably pull after 20 minutes at the competition.

How were they?  Good for sure.  It won't lose a competition, but it may not help you win.  I may be revisiting this entry in the coming weeks.  I am open to any suggestions if you have a savory, go to bacon dish.

Thanks for stoping by...

Bill